Random 80's Wednesday

Part one of the great Bandcamp / Sideroom Singles linkfest:

Pel Mel - No Word From China
Pop Mechanix - Jumping Out A Window
Stephen Cummings - Speak With Frankness
Tactics - Coming In On My Coat Tails
Seven Ballerinas - Sometimes I Feel
Look Blue Go Purple - Cactus Cat

New Legal Download

I didn't know that Crash Test Dummies had released a new track called "I'll Be Peaceful Then" earlier this year, so I have made it my legal download of the week.

More From Bandcamp

More Bandcamp discoveries worth your time...

Last week I bought the debut album by Cry No More, a band I had not heard of before but put out two major label albums in the late 80's. Good songs and a wonderful sense of humor, evidently.

https://crynomore.bandcamp.com/

Yesterday I held off buying an album on vinyl by Naked Prey on Frontier records. Timely, as they are also available through Bandcamp.

https://frontierrecords-nakedprey.bandcamp.com/

Lastly I have to recommend a recent release by 80's synth guru Thomas Leer. As you might expect, his album 1982 is a collection of tracks he produced around that time that did not get released. Not sure why, as the material was very strong. He was label hopping a bit if I recall before his major label debut LP Scale of Ten in 1985.

https://futurehistoric.bandcamp.com/album/1982

Bandcamp Update

One of the more exciting developments I have been seeing lately is the number of lesser known 80's bands now making their catalogue available through Bandcamp, often including extra demos and other curiosities. I'm going to try to make this a more regular feature.

First up, if you enjoyed the Social Security track I posted a little while ago, they have made all their albums, plus extras, available.

https://socialsecurity.bandcamp.com/

I can't remember if I have mentioned Martin Ansell's brilliant 1986 album An Englishman Abroad before, but it's definitely worth a listen. Previously, Martin released two great new wave singles, one under the moniker of The Quarks and then as President President. You can find both those singles, his solo albums, and other demo tracks here:

https://martinansell.bandcamp.com/

President President - All Good Men (1982)

President President - All Good Men (7" Single, 1982)

Hollywood Beyond - If (1987)

Birmingham, England singer/songwriter Mark Rogers, under the name Hollywood Beyond, gave it his best shot on If, an energetic, soulful techno-rock record produced by Bernard Edwards, Mike Thorne, Stephen Hague and others. Rogers' voice isn't altogether distinctive, but he croons and belts ably enough to be heard. The music likewise bends toward facelessness, but If's slickness, verve and variety keep it from being boring. Overambitious and premature, perhaps, but not at all bad. (Trouser Press)

Hollywood Beyond - If (1987)

1. Opening Scenario
2. Vision Of Love
3. After Midnight
4. Save Me
5. Crimes Of Passion
6. What's The Colour Of Money?
7. No More Tears
8. Metal On Glass
9. Shadows I Remember
10. Hollywood Beyond

Download now available legally from Amazon!

Random 80's Wednesday

Leisure Process - Anxiety (7" Single, 1983)
Ice Cold In Alice - When The Rain Comes Down (7" Single, 1988)
Kids In The Kitchen - Current Stand (from Shine, 1985)
Two People - Heaven (7" Single, 1987)
Freiheit - Keeping The Dream Alive (from Fantasy, 1988)

Mad At The World - Mad At The World (1987)

One of the best things about producing my own blog is that it gives me the opportunity to mention albums that very few people are likely to be familiar with. A good example is the self-titled debut from alternative Christian band Mad At The World. In a year when synthpop acts such as Erasure and Pet Shop Boys were dominating the charts and modern rock was awash with lyrical themes of alienation and doubt, it was refreshing to listen to music that addressed humanistic concerns in a positive way, without being preachy. The album's production values were top-notch, and it still stands up twenty years later.

The core of the group were the brothers Roger Rose (vocals, guitars) and Randy Rose (vocals, drums) and on their debut album they were able to synthesize rock, pop, electro and gospel in a quite original way. "Taking The Easy Way Out" is probably the best song ever written about the contemplation of suicide; "All The Lonely Sheep" and "It Can't Rain Forever" address the fear of teenage loneliness. "I Want To See Heaven", perhaps the standout track, discusses a fear of making bad moral choices, as does "Here We Go Again" and "Bad Motives". If the Christian content doesn't put you off, then all you need to know it that this album flat out rocks. Roger Rose's idiosyncratic vocals are a mildly acquired taste but ultimately serve to strongly differentiate this album from anything else in the CCM genre, or anywhere else, for that matter. The cover art was also striking and sold the package effectively.

Released on the US Frontline label, the album proved to be something of a one-off. Unable to replicate the unique studio arrangements in a live setting, the group began to incorporate increasing amounts of rock guitar into future productions, ultimately to the detriment of the initial fan-base.

I initially owned a cassette copy of the album, which became so worn that eventually the shell was replaced and held together with sticky tape. It's possible to find the original CD, but you'll probably have to pay more than the $6.00 I paid for mine on eBay seven years ago.

UPDATE: Happy to report that the entire Frontline Records catalog is now available through digital sources.

Also check out some footage of the band recording in the studio at Roger's YouTube channel.

Mad At The World - Mad At The World (1987)

1. Living Dead
2. All The Lonely Sheep
3. I Want To See Heaven
4. No Room Left
5. Taking The Easy Way Out
6. Bad Motives
7. No More Innocence
8. It Can't Rain Forever
9. Here We Go Again
10. Dry Your Tears
11. Mad At The World
12. Chance Of Luck

Legal Download at Amazon

I still get chills just typing out the song titles. What a great album.

The best MATW website
Wikipedia Entry

The Jeremy Days - The Jeremy Days (1988)

Watch out for hard-to-find, deleted, out of print or critically ignored compact discs released in the last thirty years...

The Jeremy Days - The Jeremy Days (1988)

1. Fantastic Friend
2. Julie Through The Blinds
3. Are You Inventive
4. Raintree Country
5. This World
6. That's What I Call Love
7. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day
8. End, The
9. Starting To Pretend
10. Food And Coffee
11. Brand New Toy

Download Now available legally through Amazon!

I recently discovered the band The Jeremy Days through the usual mixture of happenstance and internet rambling. While I was looking for info on Sven Schumacher I found a reference to a band fronted by Dirk Darmstaedter. Dirk caught my eye because I noted that he founded Tapete Records in Germany which I also remembered was the label that talented American expat Tess Wiley is associated with. I had previously heard of Tess through a Paste magazine music sampler. A bit more digging and I discovered that Dirk had previously fronted a band called The Jeremy Days. I managed to find a couple of tracks on some German 80's music boards and then saw the debut CD at a local used CD store for $2.99. That's the way it goes sometimes.

I'm not sure how the band slipped through the net in the late 80's but there's some great music on the debut CD. All the videos have been uploaded to YouTube by Dirk himself.
Dirk Darmstaedter - Official Website
The Jeremy Days Official Website (in German)

**UPDATE** Got a nice link back from Dirk's blog. Gesundheit!